Alternative 2 Girl Scout

I was in Girls Scouts all through high school, and we focused a great deal of our time on camping, nature, fire safety, etc. If this is what you and your daughter really like, why not start your own troop?

Each Girl Scout Troop has a different focus depending on the interests of the leaders and the girls but mostly depending on the knowledge and skills of the leaders. If the leaders of your daughter's troop have never been camping or don't know much about nature, they will probably focus on something they feel much more comfortable about.

If you don't have time to be the leader you could always talk to your daughter's leaders about her interests and see if there is a way to incorporate more of that. Perhaps they would really appreciate your experience and expertise.

Girls Scouts has many, many summer opportunities that she might be interested in. Our counsel had day camps and resident camps, but it also had "Wider Opportunities." They involved week long or two week long trips with a much more narrow focus. I bet she could find something there that would really appeal to her.

Girl Scouting really does offer the things your daughter is interested in. You just have to find the right people.

Ditto Gidget!
So much depends on the group of girls, the leaders and the parents.
I have several years of experience in Girl Scouts. In both of my troops our focus was mostly on community service and the arts, because that's what the families were most interested in doing. I made sure we got outside as much as possible, we did some hiking, environmental clean up and a little bit of camping. We also did overnights at the Zoo and aquarium which was a LOT of fun. I knew of some troops that did serious camping, backpacking and even whitewater rafting but those troops were made up of families who really enjoyed those activities. I also knew of troops who never went outside, and one troop who went camping at a local campground but had their food catered (yes, CATERED, lol!!!)
If you are not able to find a troop which meets your needs you could consider starting your own. If that's not an option, and if your daughter likes working with animals/farming then 4H may be a good fit. Indian Princesses is another possibility, but I think that's a father daughter program so your husband would need to be on board for that.
Good luck, I hope you're able to find something!

There is a father and daughter program called Indian Princesses that I participated in as a child and loved it. Like your daughter i was more in to the nature, bugs and animals thing than just attending meetings and stuff.

See if your county has a 4H chapter. People often think that 4H is just about livestock, but our county has a variety of clubs - a rabbit club, an insect club, a puppet club, a sewing club, a dog club, a shooting sports club, a media productions club, etc. Good luck in finding the right activity for your daughter.

Maybe 4H or the Venture program that is through boy scouts? I tried girl scouts when I was young and was disappointed in it, my oldest daughter had a similar experience. This summer we decided to have our own family day camp, my daughters called it Sweetheart Scouts. We did all kinds of fun things, I never got around to making patches like they wanted to, but we did tie dye some camp tee shirts!

Indian Princess -- it is run through your local YMCA. For fathers and daughters, great outdoor and nature experiences and good bonding time. :)

check out 4-H through the county extension service. they get to choose what they want to focus on and they have programs in all different areas.

I did it as a city kid and loved it. looking to get my kids in it but they have to be 9 (although I think they've started a junior program for 6-8 year olds)

Campfire (used to be Campfire Girls) is now coed and still running. Check them out -- http://www.campfireusa.org

Frontier Girls, Indian princesses,

I think Indian Princesses is now called "Adventure Princesses" in case you can't find the Indian Princesses group at the YMCA (though the Y should know what you're talking about). My daughter does that with her dad and enjoys it, but her group is not very active and it goes through 2nd grade although I hear they're starting a new group for older girls and dads (not sure if this is at all Y locations or just the one near me -- we go to one near my daughter's school, not near our house, and they haven't mentioned the older girl group yet).

The Trinity River Audubon offers a nature club that meets each month during the school year. It is 2 hours one Sunday per month. May be too far of a drive from Plano (it took us around 30 minutes to get there from North Dallas). I just took my laptop and worked in their small eating area while she did the nature club.

Our local zoo has a camper program like this, although it is co-ed. You might check your local zoo or wildlife center.

Do you have an aquarium near you? Sometimes they offer clubs for kids that offer more of a nature/animal approach. Good luck!